


sacred simplicity

by shirothehero (dirkharley)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23045098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirkharley/pseuds/shirothehero
Summary: Shiro's days are long and exhausting, but Keith always does what he can to make them bearable.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 59
Collections: Shiro Birthday Exchange 2020





	sacred simplicity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Z_Aggro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Z_Aggro/gifts).



> this was written for Z_Aggro as part of the shiro birthday exchange! i ended up writing some domestic fluff, with keith doing little things to help shiro through a tough day, because he deserves the world. i hope you enjoy!! 💙
> 
> (title is from [this song](https://youtu.be/ZtUJNhKbbx4))

Saturdays don't mean much on the Atlas. Diplomacy waits for no one, certainly not galaxies away from Earth and its arbitrary concept of rest days. Shiro wakes at the same time today as any, rising from his bed and into the shower before he can convince himself to curl into the still warm space next to his own. Keith is a little ahead of him in getting ready for the day, if the shuffling sounds beyond the bedroom door are anything to go by. Shiro smiles quietly to himself - it's a rare morning that he gets to see Keith before they part ways for the day. He hopes this will be one of the lucky ones.

Showering is a quick affair, dressing even more so. By the time Shiro leaves the bedroom, the coffee has just finished brewing, and Keith still only looks about as awake as Shiro feels. He silently slides a mug across the counter to Shiro at the same time as sipping at his own - and immediately makes a face.

"Wrong one," he croaks out, before swapping the cup on the counter (completely black, he realizes) for the one in his hands.

Shiro picks up his actual coffee and takes a long sip before he speaks. "And here I thought you might need the extra sugar as a pick-me-up."

Keith groans wordlessly at him in response, downing half of his own mug in one go.

"I'll be sure to let you know the day I decide I want _less_ coffee in me in the morning."

Shiro laughs lightly at that, and they pass a few minutes in companionable silence together in the kitchen, both blinking more awake as time goes on.

Right on schedule, Shiro's datapad pings with a message from Veronica that outlines his daily itinerary. While he looks it over, Keith washes their mugs and sets them out to dry. Shiro feels the familiar weight of Keith's head resting on his shoulder as he tucks into a protein bar.

"Looks like a full day," he remarks, passing Shiro some breakfast of his own.

Internally, Shiro is already exhausted just from the frankly improbable time between a few of his meetings, and he's pretty sure he'll end up skipping the twenty minutes allotted for lunch, but he figures there's no need to drag Keith into his misery so early in the morning.

"Should go pretty smoothly, as long as I stay on schedule." He can't quite keep the sigh from his tone, but, well, it _is_ a full day.

Keith hums in response before leaning up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Just... take it as easy as you can, alright? They've been running you ragged out there."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And I'm no use to anyone dead."

Keith levels him with a look so unimpressed that Shiro can't help but bark out a laugh. He turns his head just enough to capture Keith's mouth for a real kiss before breaking away again.

"You worry too much. I'll be fine. See you tonight?"

Keith's expression shifts as he nods, his eyes a mix of fondness and intensity so uniquely Keith it makes Shiro's heart swell.

"Of course. Have a good day, Shiro."

-

Shiro does not have a good day.

The group of delegates he's meeting with have a way of grating on his nerves more than anyone he's met in a long time. Even spending the day with Slav sounds preferable to the constant dismissive and accusatory remarks they shoot his way. Shiro spends the most of his time trying to juggle defending his honour and placating the ever-increasingly unreasonable alien representatives. By the time his second to last meeting has come to an end, he's hungry and tired and one wrong word away from snapping at the next person who crosses his path.

Thankfully, it's Veronica he sees next. While she tends to cause a particular kind of anxiety to bloom in him (at best, in the form of adding more tasks to an already full day, and at worst, informing him they're under attack), she also never sugarcoats things, or pretends they're somehow to his benefit. He's already begun mentally preparing himself to tack another few hours onto his day when she interrupts his thoughts.

"Sir? I have something for you from Lieutenant Kogane. He stopped by a little while ago. He said he's sorry he missed you."

Shiro warms at the thought of Keith taking a moment out of his day to come by, even if the timing didn't quite line up. He must have let slip a smile, because there's a knowing twinkle in Veronica's eyes, but she doesn't say a word. She hands him a paper bag, neatly folded over at the top, and they begin walking purposefully towards their next destination.

"Thank you, Veronica," he says, and he opens the bag to find an assortment of snacks from the mess hall. Without wasting a second, he grabs the best thing he sees - one of the oversized chocolate muffins he loves so much - and tucks right in. It takes him a moment to think to offer any to his companion, but when he waves the open bag in front of her, she just shakes her head.

"He said to make sure you get all that into you before you 'even think of stepping foot into another meeting'. Besides, not all of us make skipping lunch an Olympic sport."

Shiro rolls his eyes, but even if his mouth weren't full of food, he couldn't argue with that. He really _should_ take better care of himself.

Veronica briefs him on his next appearance as they walk while Shiro does his best to savour his belated meal, hoping that the rest of his day is less of an ordeal.

-

It's late evening by the time he makes it back home, and it takes everything in him not to just collapse in the doorway. As he enters, Keith is puttering around the kitchen, doing dishes while leftovers heat up in the microwave. He has headphones in, so Shiro decides not to interrupt him.

Keith doesn't jump when he turns and sees Shiro leaning on the counter, but it's a near thing.

"Hey, you're home - well, not early, but I didn't know when to expect you. Want a bite?"

Just as he says that, the microwave beeps and he swivels to tend to it. In a blink, he's set a hot bowl of stew and a chunk of bread in front of Shiro, urging him down into one of the island chairs.

"Come on, eat up. Then you can tell me every shitty thing you had to deal with today."

The first bite tastes amazing - it's comfort food that comes at exactly the right time. He has to stop himself from scarfing it down like a hungry teenager, but even still, he finishes the meal in front of him in record time. He knows they got this in a care package from Hunk, so he makes a mental note to thank him later.

It's only as he gets up to bring his dishes to the sink that he notices Keith is halfway through a bowl of dry cereal.

"Keith, what - why did you let me eat your food? I didn't even realize - "

"Don't worry about it, I was feeling more like sugar anyway." He interrupts, punctuating it with a particularly crunchy bite.

Shiro can't argue with that - he knows Keith has a sweet tooth that rivals even his own, sometimes - but he still shakes his head. He forces a smile which is rooted in fondness, but he can't help being a little exasperated. He's on a razor's edge of irritability, so as soon as he finishes cleaning up, he lays back onto the couch and squeezes his eyes shut.

Keith joins him not long afterwards, flicking their TV on to some alien show Shiro doesn't know the name of, and flops himself right on top of Shiro. His weight is familiar, and it does wonders to ease how taut his body feels from the stress of the day. Keith breaks the silence between them, the low rumble of his voice traveling right to Shiro's core.

"So, want to talk about your terrible day?"

Shiro groans.

"Honestly? Not really, especially considering I need to do it all again tomorrow. I'd rather just forget about it while I can."

He feels more than hears the answering hum against his chest before Keith's weight is sliding higher, until his hair is tickling Shiro's face. The TV drones on next to them, and coupled with the ever-present hum of Atlas, the noise is suddenly too much. He opens his eyes to see Keith staring down at him. His expression has an almost unreadable intensity to it, but rather than try and decipher it, Shiro leans up to close the distance between them.

The kiss starts out a simple press of lips, Keith doing little more than meeting him in the middle. But Shiro wants to lose himself in this, in Keith - he needs a distraction, he needs to do something _right_ today. So he presses more firmly, wraps his arms around Keith to pull him closer, bites at his lower lip the way he knows will make him open up for him. He chases the quiet moan he gets when he slides his tongue along Keith's lips, and huffs a breath of victory when they part for him.

They stay like that a while, trading heated kisses, Shiro's hands roaming across Keith's back. He focuses on kneading along the sides and leaving light scratches across his shoulders to make Keith press further into him.

There's nothing hurried about the exchange, and the longer they stay like that, the more Shiro feels his tension melt away. He knows the that both of them are too tired to take anything further, but even getting to do this much together after a long day feels like a gift.

As their kisses wind back down into soft and chaste, a haze of sleepiness washes over him. Keith is like the best kind of weighted blanket, warm and familiar and _his_.

With his face buried in the crook of Shiro's neck, Keith drops off into sleep before him, though truthfully, Shiro isn't far behind. He tangles a hand in the soft hair of Keith's nape and places a kiss to the top of his head. When morning comes, he might regret falling asleep on the couch. But right now? There's nowhere in the universe he would rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [twitter](http://twitter.com/shlrothehero)! 💙


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